Library Vote

The John Jermain Memorial Library’s budget vote and trustee election will be held on Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and is open to all registered voters in the Sag Harbor School District.

The proposed 2014 budget is just under $2.29 million, an increase of $71,633 over this year’s approved budget, with $60,450 of that increase to be covered by taxpayers. That represents a difference of about $5 per year for the average homeowner, according to the library.

The total includes $905,000 in debt service related to the restoration and expansion of the library. Other increases cover rises in health and unemployment insurance costs as well as in utilities and other day-to-day operations. The library is also planning expanded programming for families and senior citizens and is paying for new digital resources and climate-controlled storage for rare local materials and artifacts, according to its newsletter.

Three candidates, whose election is assured, are running for three spots on the library’s board of trustees. They are Linley Whelan, who has served one three-year term and is seeking a second; Nick Gazzolo, who is active in a number of other village organizations and has a background in business and marketing, and Alison Bond, an editor, writer, and literary agent. Mr. Gazzolo and Ms. Bond will be first-time trustees.

The library has a limit of two consecutive terms for its trustees and the two leaving the board, Carl Peterson and Carol Williams, have met their term limits. “They have just done great things for us in the six years they’ve been here,” said Catherine Creedon, the library’s director.

Voting on Tuesday will be at the library’s temporary location at 34 West Water Street. Absentee ballots will be available at the school district office at Pierson High School until the morning of the vote.